Commissioners’ Mark of Excellence 2022

The Civil Service Commission is launching a ‘Commissioners’ Mark of Excellence’ to showcase outstanding innovation and commitment in the recruitment of diverse candidates across all grades into the Civil Service.

The award will champion diversity in its broadest sense, supporting the Government’s priority of ‘levelling up’ and the Civil Service reform agenda of an innovative and skilled Civil Service. 

With our shared aims of encouraging people of all backgrounds to reach their potential in the civil service, cross-government networks have endorsed and support this award, along with the Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case: 

“This new award will highlight innovative hiring practices that help attract and recruit diverse fields of candidates for a career in the Civil Service. The Civil Service has an incredible array of different roles and functions – from data analysts to work coaches and prison officers. Recruiting talented individuals, from a wide range of backgrounds across the United Kingdom, is vital to effectively deliver government services and ensure the Civil Service truly reflects the country it serves.”

How to Apply

The Commissioners’ Mark of Excellence is open to all departments and organisations that are audited by the Civil Service Commission. If you would like to be considered please refer to the compliance scorecard survey which is sent to you as part of the Commission’s compliance audit in March or ask your Head of HR.

The award will be judged by a panel, led by Natalie Campbell MBE, made up of  independent Commissioners, representatives from cross government networks and  private sector figures. The Mark of Excellence will be given to the department/s or organisation/s that have demonstrated consistent excellent practice in promoting a career in the Civil Service and widening opportunities to reach a more diverse demographic.

For example: 

  • Improving wording of job descriptions and advertising strategy to encourage greater diversity.
  • Outreach – for example, leaders working with schools and organisations across the country to provide mentoring, employability skills training and work experience.
  • Schemes and programmes - for example, the Care Leaver Internship Scheme, Summer Diversity Internship, Early Diversity Internship Programme, Autism Exchange Internship, Going Forward into Employment, Movement to Work etc.
  • Entering the Top 75 Social Mobility Employers register for the first time.
  • Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative

Winners and case studies will be published in the Commission's Annual Report & Accounts, on its website and throughout Civil Service social media channels. On the back of the Commission’s successful ‘Diverse senior leaders talk about working in the Civil Service’ blog series that we regularly publish, we will interview the winning teams to both commend their efforts and ask how they achieved their diversity success to act as inspiration for other departments. Winners will be able to publicise their achievement with an award logo on all their recruitment advertisements for one year.


For further information on how to apply please contact Heidi Ferguson - heidi.ferguson@csc.gov.uk

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